On the same day that Kiyoshi began preparing for his trip to Romania, he received important information. Yasaka had been contacted by Leviathan to learn Shinto's plans for the vampires. Once she understood the other side's intentions, Serafall revealed her sister and Rias Gremory's mission to accompany Azazel. This information had a significant impact on the plan to capture the Grail.
Obtaining the Longinus was still Zankoku's primary objective, but now he had the opportunity to take revenge and eliminate one of the enemy alliance's leaders. Having two Maou sisters on Azazel's side would prevent him from escaping alone. Leaving the Pillar heirs behind would ensure that the fallen one would turn the demons against him, causing discord between the biblical factions. This was the advantage the phoenix was going to take advantage of.
— The main thing in this case is to lure a group of demons into a trap and not let them escape ahead of time, — Kiyoshi reasoned, sitting at the table. — With a dhampir in Gremory's retinue, this won't be difficult, right?
— Yes, — Akeno confirmed with a smile. — Gasper was very excited about Valerie. If he's not in love with her, then at least he considers her his family. The boy will try to save her at any cost, and Rias values and indulges her servants, especially after what happened.
— We'll take advantage of this, — the guy tapped his fingers on the table, thinking over the plan. — We know the time of the demons' arrival, so we'll start clearing out the vampires right before that.
— Will we be able to finish before they interfere? — the girl asked uncertainly.
— Vampires are not a problem for us, Akeno, — Kiyoshi gently squeezed the brunette's hand. — Phoenix and dragon — we are very strong creatures and we both possess holy power. Even if vampires are immune to their weaknesses, our capabilities are enough to raze their castle to the ground in a couple of dozen minutes, — the blond smiled encouragingly. — At the same time, you will meet your former comrades, you will be able to demonstrate how strong you have become and chase the children. Just do not harm our ally's beloved sister. Otherwise, the magical girl may be very offended.
— Ufu-fu-fu! I still can't believe that Serafall Leviathan, one of the Demon Lords, conspired with another Pantheon and betrayed the peaceful alliance.
— She did it to protect her family and beloved sister, — he hinted sarcastically to his interlocutor. Akeno's eyes widened, realizing what she heard. — For the sake of my family, I would have done the same.
— I have no doubt, — the brunette said in a languid voice, bringing her face closer to his. — Tell me, Kiyoshi, am I on that list?
Phoenix decided to support the girl's game. He closed the distance between them, pressing his forehead against hers. Their noses were practically touching, and their eyes were staring into each other.
— Silly girl, you're already my family, — after finishing speaking, he covered her lips with his in a long and passionate kiss. — I think we should stop now.
— Okay, — she bit her lip and moved away from the guy. Himejima understood the reason, but she couldn't hold back her emotions.
— Don't frown, — Kiyoshi pulled her closer. — Now we need to get to our destination and see everything with our own eyes. Once the reconnaissance is over, the rest of the time until the meeting tomorrow is at our complete disposal, — the phoenix descended to the girl's ear, switching to a whisper, — and that means our date is not over yet. We will definitely continue where we left off, Akeno.
— Ah! — she couldn't help but groan when Zankoku lightly bit her neck. — Yes. We will definitely continue this.
***
Kiyoshi and Akeno had been in a great mood since the morning. Yesterday, they had teleported to the nearest city to their destination. The pair covered the remaining twelve kilometers to the castle on their own, avoiding the few patrols and magical alarms. The inspection of the enemy's territory did not last long. Having walked around the castle in a circle, determining the approximate route of the guards and the external layout, they returned back.
The provincial town of Romania was not rich in attractions, so the couple arranged a romantic dinner for themselves at a local restaurant. After finishing their meal, they went to the booked hotel and continued their evening.
***
Now the phoenix and the dragon were preparing to attack. Kiyoshi glanced at his watch and began to wait for the last minutes. Feeling an itch on his neck, he scratched the mark on his body for the umpteenth time that day. The guy looked at his companion.
— Well, I'm sorry. I didn't do it on purpose, — seeing the reproachful look of her lover, Akeno apologized again. — It happened on its own, instinctively.
— Of course, I'm not against your revenge, after all, I started it first, — he removed his hand, showing the bite mark. — I'm more concerned about why he didn't disappear with my regeneration. Is it somehow connected with your dragon aura emanating from the mark?
— I don't know for sure, but most likely, — the brunette said guiltily. — At that moment, I felt the need to do exactly that.
— Okay. It's not that important. We'll ask Ophis later, — the guy decided to change the subject. — Let's focus on the targets in front of us, — they were a few hundred meters away from the castle, hidden by trees. — While my legion deals with the crowd, we will go straight to our target. It should be near the leader of this swarm of mosquitoes.
— Can I play with him? — Akeno made a pitiful face and pressed herself against the blond. — Please.
— Okay, — Kiyoshi sighed tiredly, but he could not hold back a grin. His new wife looked like a child begging for a new toy, and not a target for a sadistic nature. — Just finish before the guests arrive.
— Thank you, dear! — she kissed him on the cheek. — I love you!
— I love you too, — the blond looked at his watch. — It's time to start.
They rushed to the entrance at great speed. Before the two vampires guarding the gate could react, their heads were pierced by fiery spears. A moment later, fire spheres hit their bodies, burning the corpses of the vampires to ashes.
— It's time to replenish my army, — the pair appeared at the gate and slowly entered the castle walls. As soon as they were inside, a purple magic circle appeared under Zankoku's feet. An identical, but much larger, circle formed in the sky above the castle. — Now no one will escape from us.
The vampires of the Tepes faction looked at the unfamiliar magic in bewilderment. However, the circle did not last long and disappeared, but instead, purple fire enveloped the castle walls. The children of the night instinctively shuddered. Although they had gotten rid of their weaknesses, only the holy power that was full in the flames still caused the same fear. Following this, humanoid figures began to form from the fire, which immediately began to attack the vampires they encountered. The legion's order was clear and precise: kill all the inhabitants of the castle except for the dhampir girl.
— Ufu-fu-fu! What a beautiful sight, — Akeno watched with a smile as the vampires desperately but futilely resisted. Neither begging, nor tears, nor curses could save their lives from the soulless soldiers of Kiyoshi.
— Let's not linger, — the blond took the girl by the arm, and they went to their goal.
After passing the long corridors, the couple reached the throne room. Inside, the leader of the vampires, Marius Tepes, was waiting for them. Next to him was a young girl with a doll-like face, like all vampires, and an empty gaze, their target, the owner of the Sephiroth Grail, as well as a bunch of defenders.
— Who are you and how dare you attack the Tepes family, plebeians?! — Marius could not stand it when the man and woman looked around the room with a disdainful look.
— Why does a corpse need to know our names? — the blond asked cheerfully. — You're all going to die here anyway.
— Don't be so arrogant. Guards, kill the intruders!
Obeying the leader's order, the vampires rushed to attack, but as soon as they got closer, Akeno released her fiery breath. The power of the dragon fire was enough to instantly burn the attackers.
— What a pity, you don't have any more servants left, — Akeno said with a laugh. — Don't you want to try to deal with us yourself? I'm even ready to play with you. Ufufu!
— How dare you, girl! — Using his blood magic, Marius began the fight with Akeno.
After watching the first minute of the battle, Kiyoshi left the vampire in the hands of his sadistic wife. This fool could not even understand that they were just playing with him.
— Let's see what the Holy Grail is, — Kiyoshi frowned and looked at the far corner of the room, not reaching Valerie three meters away.
— So you noticed me. Not bad! — a cheerful male voice rang out. — I wanted to blow your head off as soon as you approached the dhampir, but apparently you can entertain me well.
— That's right. Destroy these impudent intruders! — Marius shouted, having been beaten up.
— Shut up, trash! — the man's words were reinforced by the powerful dragon aura emanating from him. — You can't order me around.
Feeling the stranger's power, Akeno stopped playing with the vampire, instantly piercing his chest with lightning, and stood next to Zankoku, releasing her aura.
— Whoa! Such a young dragon with great potential, — the pointy—eared man admired. — It's a pity that you've already chosen a mate for yourself, — while his gaze fell on the phoenix. — I wouldn't mind getting such a female for myself.
— I already have a husband, — the brunette took a step closer to Kiyoshi. — You have no chance.
— Ha! It's obvious, — he chuckled. — It has your mark on it, and your bodies smell of each other, but that's not the point now, — the dragon concentrated its aura on Zankoku. — Even though you masked the energy, it won't fool the dragon's sense of smell. Why do you smell Ophis's power? My boss didn't tell me about you.
"Smell, huh? It's good that I found out about it before meeting Azazel and the others", — thought Kyooshi.
— Thanks for the hint, — the phoenix showed its hidden aura with elements of the power of infinity. — Ophis strengthened me in exchange for helping me fight Great Red, but I didn't join her "Chaos Brigade." Now tell me, why are you protecting the girl? I want to take her for myself. She has a very tempting Sacred Gear.
— I am Crom Cruach, the strongest evil dragon who has reached the power of the Heavenly Dragons, — the dragon introduced himself. — I was asked to protect the owner of the Grail, but I have a proposition for you. You are strong, and if you can hurt me, I will give you a dhampir.
— What's the catch, Crom? — Kiyoshi was skeptical about everything that was happening. Looking at the object of their conversation, the phoenix saw only the girl's empty gaze. Valerie looked like a doll, not a living being. — You said that you must protect her, but now you offer a dhampir as a prize.
— You will find out if you can win, — the evil dragon smirked. His smile turned into a grin. — Let's begin!
Having signaled the start, Crom Cruach rushed into battle. He did not take Akeno into account and immediately attacked Zankoku. The fist was met with a block, but the force behind the blow was enormous, and the phoenix was thrown into the wall.
— Kiyoshi! — Seeing this, the brunette launched a bolt of lightning at the dragon.
— Don't interfere! — Crom easily brushed off the magic. — We have a duel. Stand aside and watch your male.
— Yes. He speaks correctly, — the blond stood up as if nothing had happened. — Akeno, stand aside and don't interfere with us, please.
— Hm. Okay, — the girl frowned, but fulfilled her husband's request.
— Let's continue, Crom Cruach.
Having strengthened his body with senjutsu and toki, Kiyoshi attacked the dragon. Each of his blows had considerable power, but Crom easily parried or dodged. The evil dragon had been training for thousands of years and is rightfully considered the strongest, so he is still looking for a fight with strong opponents.
Another blow from the phoenix was deflected to the side. Crom kicked his opponent in the stomach with a spinning kick.
— Is that all you can do? — the dragon asked with disappointment. — Then I should finish with you.
Crom Cruach tried to close the distance between them in an attempt to decapitate the failed opponent, but at the last moment his instincts rebelled. Trusting the sixth sense that had saved him more than once, the dragon jumped back just in time for the sword that appeared in Zankoku's hands to make only a shallow scratch on the evil dragon's chest.
Crom looked with some surprise at the unharmed Kiyoshi. All the wounds he had inflicted on his opponent were gone, even his clothes looked like new.
— Ha-ha-ha! Wonderful. Simply wonderful! — the man laughed happily, realizing what was happening. — You were pretending the whole time, holding back your real abilities until I exposed myself. Well done! — He praised his opponent. — Judging by the sensations and the fact that I can't regenerate the wound so easily, the sword in your hands has the properties of a dragon slayer.
— Yes, — the blond nodded, watching the dragon's reaction with interest. — If you hadn't dodged, the wound could have been much more serious.
— Ha-ha! You caught me. Congratulations, — Crom Cruach's entire fighting spirit disappeared. — As agreed, the dhampir is yours.
— And yet, why are you giving her to me so easily?
— In fact, I'm here because of you, — Kiyoshi and Akeno were surprised upon hearing this. — My boss already knew about your resurrection and assumed that you would be interested in the Grail. That's why he already got everything he needed from this girl. Rizevim Lucifer wants to give her to you in exchange for a personal meeting with him.
— If that's the case, then why did you attack Kiyoshi? — Akeno asked irritably.
— Naturally, to test him, — Crom answered carelessly. — There is no point in dealing with weaklings, but you are not one of them, Kiyoshi Zankoku. I hope to fight you at full strength next time. Until next time, — the evil Dragon disappeared into the magic circle.
Kiyoshi had already sensed the demons and the fallen one that had appeared, so the pair did not have time to think about everything that had happened. He teleported Valerie and prepared to welcome the guests.
The doors to the room swung open, revealing the surprised faces of the demons.
— And you were in no hurry to come here, — Kiyoshi said mockingly. His gaze was focused on the tense fallen one.
— Akeno... are you alive? — Gremory was surprised, but there was hope in her voice.